Conquering the Plateau

Hello everyone. My name is Vedic Panda. I’m 16 years old and a National Master from the state of Georgia, and I’m humbled to be your newest Chess Summit author! I’ve decided that for my first Chess Summit article to do my best to cover the interesting and very relatable problem that all chess players at some point go through, chess plateaus.

Firstly, I should fully explain what I mean by a chess plateau for our less informed readers. A chess plateau is when your rating or level of play stagnates or remains around the same for a long period of time. An example of this would be a player who has had a rating of around 1700 for several months. Chess plateaus are something that every chess player at some point in his career has faced and are often discouraging to the player going through it. This article will be discussing tips on how one can overcome a chess plateau.

Keep on being optimistic and don’t get discouraged

Being stuck around the same rating for weeks, months, and even years can be extremely frustrating for a person. It’s easy to get upset and want to quit. However, in order to get out of a chess plateau, you have to understand that these things take time. It’s important that even after bad or lackluster tournaments you keep a positive mindset. Chess is a tough game but being positive even when you’re not doing well can help it stay fun for you. If you don’t believe me about the importance of positivity, listen to what the current world champion Magnus Carlsen himself had to say about this:

Study

Getting better at chess is not a simple process. While it might be easy at first to climb the ranks and gain rating, getting to higher levels like Class A, Expert, and Master requires that you learn new things. For example, you can’t become an expert without knowing your king and pawn endgames. It’s important to note that chess improvement doesn’t necessarily always mean instant rating increase. Nothing is guaranteed in chess, but if you continue to work hard, your chess understanding along with your rating will increase.

Take A Break

When things aren’t going well it’s always good to take a break from chess. It’s easy to get for someone to get frustrated at chess when things aren’t going well. Taking temporary breaks can help you recollect yourself, remotivate, and can even help you enjoy playing chess more.

Have Fun

At the end of the day, it’s important to have fun while playing chess. No matter what your rating in chess is, if you’re having fun while playing, that’s all that really matters. It’s easy to define yourself based on what your rating is but, no matter what, how you feel about chess shouldn’t be affected by it. As long as you enjoy playing, your rating will increase eventually.

Going through chess plateaus is a tough experience. But in those tough times, it’s important to stay motivated and never give up. As long as you continue to have fun and keep up your chess studies, I can guarantee that you will be out of your rating slump in no time! I hope this article was helpful and if you have any personal questions relating to this topic, feel free to comment below and I’d be glad to answer. Until next time!